Hot Links: Crime from Mexico, Photo Radar, and Child Prostitution

By Niki D'Andrea Tue., Feb. 24 2009 at 6:36 AM

Categories: Hot Links

A New York Times article discusses the ties between crime in Mexico and crime in Arizona. In the story, officials including Arizona attorney general Terry Goddard talk about how the Mexican drug trade and illegal immigration has led to murders, kidnappings, and home invasions (surprisingly, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio doesn't throw his one and a half cents in)...the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix has cut 17 positions at its organization, citing fewer donations and an anticipated budget shortfall this year...Maricopa County Attorney Andrew Thomas says his office won't prosecute drivers based solely on photo evidence from traffic cameras, but that offenders will simply be subject to a fine...Phoenix police arrested two girls, both 16, and are charging them with multiple counts of child prostitution. The teens, Jazmine Finley and Tatiana Tyre, were allegedly recruiting their friends into a prostitution ring near 27th Avenue and Van Buren...CNNMoney.com reports that Phoenix is one of the cities hit hardest by declining home prices, with a 34 percent drop in home values, higher than the drop that L.A.'s seen (26.4 percent)...Google's Gmail service crashed this morning, leaving users in the U.K., Europe, and other countries without an outlet for cyber-gossip or sharing photos of their cats with clothes on them.

Wave of Drug Violence Is Creeping Into Arizona From Mexico, Officials Say

Phoenix Diocese cuts jobs amid decline in donations

County attorney will decline photo radar cases